The Deputy head of the European Parliament declared the referendum in Catalonia legitimate

A referendum on Catalan independence is legal. About it as transfers TASS, Sunday, October 1, said the Deputy head of the European Parliament Deputy from Austria Ulrike Lunacek.

“In principle, the referendum is legitimate, but, as shown by the example of Scotland, it must be agreed with Madrid. However, the Central government must finally end the embargo on dialogue”, — reads the statement of the Deputy head of the European Parliament.

Lunacek admitted that he was shocked by the situation in Catalonia, and called for de-escalation of the conflict. “I condemn the use of rubber bullets and batons of the Spanish power structures”, — said the MEP.

Video: @jcarlos_ortega / Twitter

She also called on the European Commission to mediate between the Central government of Spain and the Catalan regional government. “It is unacceptable that in the XXI century a referendum on independence escalated into a near civil war,” said Lunacek.

The vote on the referendum on Catalan independence began on Sunday at 10 am Moscow time. The voting will last till 20:00 local time (21:00 Moscow time).

Madrid is trying to prevent the vote. In particular, it is reported that Spanish police used rubber bullets against those who voted in Barcelona. According to the latest data of the authorities of Catalonia, in various clashes of the region’s residents with the law enforcement officers were injured 337 people.